Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
I feel the hairs on the back of my neck curl. Being this close to my shadow is like standing next to a toxic cloud of radioactive matter. “Are you intimidating medical staff to give you information now?”
“I’m a federal agent, Zarkov. You’d be surprised what a flash of credentials will get me.”
I look away from him to focus on Igor and tell myself that a hospital ward is not the place to shoot a federal agent.
“There’s going to be a thorough investigation into the explosion. A lot of rocks are going to be turned over. Every nook and cranny will be looked into. Things are going to get quite difficult for you and your men.”
I don’t take the bait and keep staring straight ahead.
“The bureau won’t stop until they get answers, Zarkov.”
Again, I don’t take the bait. I ignore him and keep my eyes focused ahead. In my experience, the easiest way to ensure no one trips you up in conversation is to not say anything at all.
“Your fiancée is quite lovely,” he says.
But then he goes and says that.
So I take the bait, because Michaels needs to know that he can fuck with all the other areas of my life—I have enough men and power that it will never worry me. But when it comes to Brooke, she is completely off limits.
I turn to look at him. “You stay away from her.”
He smirks. “Afraid your relationship is shaky enough that she might say something she shouldn’t?”
Surprising him, I grab him by the collar and shove him up against the wall.
“Go ahead, Zarkov. I’m a federal agent. Keep giving me cause to arrest you. It will be my pleasure to bring you in and file charges against you.”
His threat isn’t enough to make me let go. I pull him a little bit closer so we’re eye to eye, our faces inches from each other. “You listen to me, you ambitious little fuck. You can poke around all you want into my life. You wanna waste your time, go for it. But you go anywhere near Brooke again, and all bets are off. Those FBI credentials will not be able to protect you from me.”
I let him go, and he straightens his collar. At least he has the good sense to look rattled, even if he’s trying hard not to show it.
“That’s your one and only warning,” I growl.
I walk away before I do something stupid. Like put a bullet in his head.
Although, he makes a compelling argument for me to do it.
I want to get home to Brooke, but as I pass the waiting room, I see Enya curled up in a chair, biting her thumbnail, her eyes red from crying.
When she sees me walk in, she uncurls her legs and stands up. “Pakhan—"
I gesture for her to sit down. “You look tired. Have you been here all night?”
“Yes, the nurses told me to go home to get some sleep, but I can’t leave him here. He’s so alone.”
She looks exhausted. “Have you eaten?”
“They keep the vending machine well stocked.”
“Come back to the house with me. You need a hot meal and some rest.”
“No, I can’t leave him.”
Her sweet features are marred by fear and sadness. “You really care about him, don’t you?”
She forces a smile just as more tears spill out of her eyes. “I’ve had a crush on him for years. I didn’t think anything would ever happen. It wasn’t until Brooke came along that everything fell into place.” She sobs. “Now it doesn’t look like he’s going to make it, and all I can think about is all the time we wasted. All the things we haven’t done. All the things we could’ve done but never did. Because we were both afraid to say how we truly feel.”
I get it.
We take time for granted. But when time begins to run out, it becomes the most important thing in the world.
I think of Brooke waiting for me at home, and I’m overcome with an intense need to see her.
“He’s going to make it, Enya. And you’ll get all your futures with him.”
She nods, but it’s the weary nod of a loved one who has been pacing the hospital waiting room and halls for days.
“I wish I had your confidence,” she says.
I scoff silently. If only my confidence were real.
I drive home too fast, my thoughts heavy after seeing Igor.
But the moment I step into my room and find Brooke waiting for me in my bed, my tension eases a little.
I fall into bed beside her and let my sweet bratva lullaby soothe my aching heart.
I wake up in a cold sweat and with a racing heart. Instinctively, I reach for Brooke in the darkness, needing her comforting touch. She stirs and twists her body around to face me.